South Korean rapper Iron, best known for being the runner-up in Show me The Money 3, was found dead outside an apartment in Seoul on Monday. He was 29.
According to police, Iron was found laying in a flowerbed outside an apartment complex by a security guard, in a pool of blood at approximately 10:25 a.m. before he was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead upon arrival.
No official reason for the cause of death has been revealed so far as law enforcement continues to investigate the rapper's death.
Rapping Career
Iron, whose real name is Jung Hun-cheol, released his first solo album Rock Bottom in September 2016 and has also collaborated with a number of popular K-pop artists including Hyolyn, Jooyoung, SHINee's late Jonghyun, AOA's Jimin and Kim Bum Soo.
The 29-year-old shot to popularity after coming in as a semi-finalist on the third season of Mnet's hip-hop audition series, "Show Me the Money" in 2014.
Controversies and Scandals
Iron is no stranger to controversy. He was arrested last month for allegedly assaulting his 18-year-old roommate with a baseball bat at his home in the central Seoul ward of Yongsan. The roommate, a minor, was later identified as Iron's student, who was living with the rapper to learn about music.
In 2018, the hip-hop artist was convicted of assaulting his ex-girlfriend. He allegedly hit her in the face during sex, causing fractures, and also strangled her when she tried to end the relationship. He supposedly also threatened to hurt himself and pin the blame on her. He was handed a sentence of eight months imprisonment, suspended for two years and 80 hours of community service over the September 2016 incident.
In November 2016, Iron also received a sentence of eight months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, for marijuana use between 2014 and 2015. Last September, he was fined 5 million won (US$4,535) for spreading false rumors about his former girlfriend in the media. The news of Iron's death comes hours after South Korean actress Song Yoo Jung's apparent suicide grabbed headlines.
